Days after the Supreme Court upheld the power of the President to abrogate Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said no force in the universe can now reverse the August 2019 decision and warned people against politicising the issue.
“Brahmand ki koi bhi takat ab article 370 ki vaapsi nahin kara sakti, lihaza sakaratmat karya main lagen (No force in the universe can make the return of Article 370 possible now, so get involved in positive work),” the Prime Minister said in an exclusive interview Dainik Jagran.
Earlier, after the top court’s verdict, PM Modi on Monday called the move “historic” and asserted that it is not just a legal judgment, but a “beacon of hope” and a testament to the collective resolve to build a stronger and more united India.
SC Verdict on Article 370
A Constitution Bench of Apex Court on December 11 unanimously upheld the power of the President to abrogate Article 370, which led to the reorganisation of the full-fledged State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories while denuding the State of its special rights and privileges.
The Court held that Article 370 was meant to be a “temporary provision”, to be removed once the constitutional integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India was complete.
The apex court also directed that statehood to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir be restored at the earliest and said steps should be taken to conduct elections in the assembly elections there by September 30 next year.
Scrapping Article 370 has been among the core issues of BJP’s agenda and has been consistently included in its election manifestos. The apex court verdict also comes as a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
